Jingle Shells
by Reader115
Summary: Also known as "the best Christmas ever" – you know - the one Leo spent lying to everyone. Written for Tumblr's TMNT December Flashfic Theme: Festive


"Where's Leo?"

"Bed?"

"Dojo?"

Raph shook his head at both younger brothers. "His bed doesn't even look like it's been slept in."

Mikey's eye ridges drew together at that and he glanced across the kitchen towards Donnie.

Donnie cupped his hands around the blessed mug holding his morning coffee and offered a shrug. "Call him."

Raph pulled his T-phone and hit the speed dial for Leo. His eyes began to narrow as the phone rang repeatedly without an answer. Finally there was a click and some scuffling noises before Leo's voice came on the line to say hello.

"Where the hell are ya?"

There was a pause. Most people probably wouldn't have noticed it.

"Felt like a run." Additional weird, scuffling noises came through along with Leo's voice. "I'll be home in time for morning practice."

"Kay," Raph muttered before hanging up. His earlier worry that something bad had happened to their fearless leader had been squashed, but there was something about Leo's response that wasn't sitting right with him.

"What's wrong?" Mikey was eyeing the strange look on Raph's face. Raph had always been protective over the rest of them, even moreso perhaps over the past year since they lost Master Splinter. But he was confused as to why Raph would still look upset since Leo was clearly fine.

"He sounded funny." Raph frowned down at the kitchen island as he spoke.

"Weird," Mikey said, turning back to the pancakes he had on the stovetop, "cause Leo's not the funny one."

Raph ignored him. "Plus, it's too cold for him to be running this early in the morning."

"New York has been setting record low temps so far this December," Donnie stated as he breathed in the scent of his coffee before taking another sip. "Reminds me, I've got a new idea for heating the lair this winter."

Raphael nodded along, only half-listening to Donnie's idea, while the other half of him struggled with the strange feeling growing in the pit of his stomach after that short chat with his big brother. Because he _knew_ Leo had just lied to him.

* * *

Movie night was sacred. You didn't just skip out on movie night. Leatherhead had come over. Plus Casey and April. It was just supposed to be a given that _all four_ Hamato brothers would be here too. They were the hosts after all.

Okay, so maybe Mikey was the main host, but he still expected all three of his big brothers to be here. And right now, he was one blue-banded, big brother short. He dialed Leo's phone again and again got his voicemail. It wasn't until a few minutes later as the final bag of popcorn was finished popping that a text came through.

 _Sorry, Mikey. Gonna miss movie night._

He did his best to smile at the rest of the group when he really just wanted to scowl down at Leo's dumb photo icon that had popped up with the text.

He pulled his shoulders back before announcing, "Special edition Christmas movie night! _Christmas Vacation_? Or _Elf_?"

They actually ran through both movies, complete with Mikey mouthing the lines to most of _Elf_. And completely without Leo showing up in time for any of it. And as their friends left, Mikey tried not to be obvious about the fact that he was sleeping in the pit that night. Donnie didn't seem to notice, considering he'd beelined for his lab as soon as their guests were gone. But Mikey was pretty sure Raph had shot him a strange look before heading to his own bedroom.

He knew he was normally a heavy sleeper, which meant it was highly likely Leo would come home and he'd completely miss him. So, he tried to stay awake by playing a puzzle app on his phone. But as he dozed off to sleep a few short minutes later, he barely acknowledged his phone when his sleepy fingers dropped it and it landed on his face.

He was somehow dragged into consciousness several hours later as he felt a soft blanket land on his shell. He forced his eyes open and peeked through the darkness at the digital clock, which brightly announced to him that it was seven thirty in the morning. Realizing he'd failed at his mission to catch Leo coming in during the night, he twisted from his plastron, and caught Leo standing above him, still fussing with the blanket he was trying to get situated over him.

"Are you just getting home?"

Leo's eyes widened slightly and with an awkward laugh he began shaking his head. "No. No! I was just on my way to the kitchen for water when I saw you out here sleeping."

Mikey frowned as he wondered how it was possible for his master of ninjitsu brother to be such a shitty liar.

"Where were you?"

Leo's eyes ducked away from Mikey's with a sigh as he fidgeted with the blanket again. "Sorry I missed movie night, Mike. I just needed some fresh air last night."

It was an answer that didn't actually answer his question, and Mikey finally realized why Raph had looked so strange after hanging up with Leo last week. Since that point, Leo was never in the lair first thing in the morning. And when questioned, he gave the same answer every time: _morning run_. But if he was out running every morning, how much more fresh air did the turtle need? Did he need so much fresh air that he had to go out at night too? On sacred movie night?

Mikey was frowning when Leo finally lifted his eyes again to look at his face. In response, Leo lifted the smaller turtle's legs and sat next to him before letting Mikey's legs land in his lap.

"You want to watch a movie now?"

Mikey thought about saying no, mainly because Leo looked legitimately exhausted. Michelangelo thought back to the past week and realized that while Leo had still been kicking ass during their morning training, he had also been excusing himself to his room directly afterwards. And when he and Raph had finally gotten curious enough, they'd snuck to Leo's room, and found Leo knocked out asleep.

However, Mikey also knew that if he said no, Leo would spend the rest of the day feeling guilty, and then he'd get even less sleep. So Mikey said yes to a movie, because he was pretty sure that once the film began, Leo would doze right off. And then he'd at least be making sure the big guy got some rest. So he dug the remotes out from under the blanket in order to restart _Elf_.

"Can't say no to watching one of my favorites!" Mikey chirped, doing his best to sound cheerful as he watched Leo scoot his shell further down in his seat to get more comfortable.

"That's cause smiling is your favorite."

Mikey chuckled at that, pleased to also see a small grin on his big brother's face.

"Hey, Mikey," Leo asked, right after they watched one of the nuns tell baby Buddy that perhaps he'd get a family for Christmas next year, "what would you want if you could have anything for Christmas?"

Mikey paused to think about it. His immediate thought involved Master Splinter. He missed him. And this would be their first Christmas without him. He glanced once at Leo, though, and knew better than to bring up their father. After all, Leo missed him as well, maybe more since he'd lost his main confidant and mediation partner at the same time. So, instead he thought of the next best thing he could think of that wouldn't involve raising the dead.

"I kind of wish we had cousins that could come over on Christmas. I mean, I know April and Casey will come, but I kind of wish we had a huge family that could come fill this place up for the day."

Leo nodded at that. It made sense to him that his most social brother would want people to entertain for the holiday.

"Oh, and ingredients," Mikey added.

Leo raised an eye ridge at his baby brother.

"So I could make us a feast." Mikey sighed wistfully as he glanced towards the kitchen. "I've got a bunch of recipes I'd like to try, but it'd take a lot of ingredients."

"Like what?"

* * *

Donnie had been excitedly explaining his new idea for heating the lair, and while Leo didn't understand most of the circuit talk, he could appreciate anything that'd blast out more heat than their current space heaters. He sat on one of the stools in Donnie's lab and subtly checked the clock on the wall. He was going to have to leave soon.

"Sounds great, Donnie," April said as she ran gloved hands over the blueprints. "I'm not sure I noticed the cold as much when we were younger, but it's definitely been chilly down here lately."

"Feeling the cold in your _old age_ , huh?" Donnie teased. "I have heard that it all goes downhill for you humans once you hit twenty-five."

April elbowed him. "Hey, all teenagers think they're not only invincible, but also immune to the cold!" she grumbled. "Now look at me." Along with the gloves, she was still wearing her hat and scarf, even though she'd arrived nearly an hour ago.

Donnie smiled fondly at her. "I don't know, I think the cold makes your cheeks pink up pretty nicely."

The second April looked flustered, Leo eyed the exit for an escape. He was actually beginning to wonder if they remembered he was still sitting there.

Thankfully, Casey and Raph barged in at that moment and distracted everyone, allowing Leo to move towards the door. He stopped briefly in the doorway and eyed the group. Donnie and April were glancing at each other when they thought the other wasn't looking, but they were also pulled into the conversation with Casey and Raph, which Leo was sure had just ruined the full on flirting that he'd just witnessed.

Raph crossed his arms and continued to shake his head as Casey tried to drag Donnie and April onto the doofus' side concerning who would win if sharks could come on land and attack lions. _Clearly lions would win because they have both teeth and claws_ , something Casey seemed to be too dumb to understand.

His head turned slightly when he noticed movement and he found himself frowning as Leo slipped out the door.

* * *

On the morning of Christmas Eve, Leo sent out a group text _: Family meeting_ and then waited in the pit for everyone to arrive. He watched as Donnie with April came from the lab, while Raph, Casey, and Mikey came from the direction of the garage. He remained still as they each got comfortable, all while peering at him curiously.

"I know I've been out of the lair a lot lately -,"

"You mean all the time," Mikey interjected. Because not only had Leo napped through lunch yesterday, but he'd gone missing before dinner and they'd had to eat without him.

Leo pressed his fingertips together and nodded slowly. "Right. Well, I thought maybe it was time I told you guys what I've been up to."

Raphael crossed his arms and frowned. "So you haven't been out obsessively running?"

"And getting fresh air?" Donnie added dryly. Seriously, he was _this close_ to adding a dehumidifier or something down here just so the air would meet Leo's new freshness standards.

Leo offered a small shrug and shook his head. "No." He could feel Raph's glare grow in intensity without having to even look at him, so he continued speaking quickly. "I was in the junkyard one night, just looking around for anything useful for us, when I saw a _Help_ _Wanted_ sign in that small main office they have."

"Help wanted? You got a job?" Donnie's tone was incredulous as he stared back at Leo.

"I left an application on the main desk and they called me the next day. Basically hired me over the phone, since they haven't had a single person apply in the month that they'd posted the job, and then told me what it was they needed me to do, which was basically just organizing some of the equipment so that they'd have an easier time selling it."

Leo paused, letting a moment of silence fill the room. And since no one apparently had any questions, _since they were all still too busy staring at him as if he'd grown a second head_ , he decided to continue.

"They didn't really care when I did the work, so I did it when no one else was around, obviously, and they direct deposited my paycheck into that account you set up for me, Don."

"But, why?" Mikey finally asked.

"Exactly how long have you been pulling all-nighters?" Donnie added quickly, realizing that Leo didn't just leave the lair first thing in the morning for a run like they had all assumed, but Leo left each _night_ before any of them were even in bed, and then returned just in time for morning practice each morning. "Seriously, when was the last time you had a good night's sleep?"

"And why didn't you ask us to come _help you_?" Raph growled at him.

April glanced at Casey and shook her head, advising him to stay out of this one. He leaned back on the bench where he sat and threw his hands up in the air, letting her know he had no intention of jumping into this one.

Leo rubbed a hand across the back of his neck and glanced towards the dojo, which led to a small pang as he had to continually remind himself that their father was not in his room, before his gaze fell on his brothers again, all three of which had jumped up as he'd spoken and were standing like a wall in front of him.

"I just wanted us to have a nice Christmas," he said softly, thinking of how hard it was going to be without sensei here this year. "And I know I'm a day early, but I wanted to give you your presents right now."

Raph, Donnie, and Mikey glanced at each other. They exchanged a look that clearly said, _We still need to get on Leo's case about not taking care of himself, but lets see where this is going. Because he's clearly worked very hard on this surprise. Oh and because presents._

Leo watched them with practiced patience, and when they turned back to him, he smiled at their compliance.

"Okay, Raph, you're up first." Leo pulled an envelope from his belt and handed it to his brother. "Although, this is really a present for you and Casey both."

At that, Casey jumped up from where he sat and stood to peer over Raph's shoulder as the envelope was torn open.

"No way," Casey whispered as he whipped one of the tickets out of Raph's hands. "No _freakin_ way. Leo, these are Jets' tickets!"

"For today's game," Leo added, "which means you two need to leave right now if you want to get there before kickoff." Leo kept his eyes pinned on Raph's face as he spoke. He watched the awestruck shock, the muted hope, and then the scowl - that he knew was coming - all cross Raphael's face as he continued to stare down at the remaining ticket in his hand.

Raph finally lifted his eyes to Leo and was immediately confused when he saw a small smirk on his brother's face.

"Leo, I can't go to a Jets game."

"Why not?" Leo asked innocently.

Donnie, Mikey, and April had crowded around the other two, eager to confirm that they were actually holding football tickets. Their heads whipped up at Leo's strange question.

"Mutant turtle?" Raph stated dumbly. "And these aren't even nosebleed seats - Leo, these are like first level!"

"Hmm," Leo hummed and rubbed a hand over his chin as if this was the honest to goodness first time he'd considered that little problem. "Well, I suppose you can't go looking like that. So, how about this?" And with that, Leo snapped his fingers and then watched as every single family member jumped a literal foot away from Raphael as he was enveloped in smoke.

Raph coughed and began waving his hand in front of his face. But then he froze, because instead of a green, three fingered hand waving smoke away, five _human_ fingers waved back at him.

"Leo!" he yelped as he looked down and considered the possibility that he was having a heart attack. Or a stroke. Why else would he suddenly appear to be a human? Instead of a plastron, he was looking at a smaller chest covered in a Jets' sweatshirt. And instead of knee pads, he stared down at jeans. And boots. He ran a hand over his head and found his fingers – _five fingers_ – running through soft hair. "Holy shit," he whispered as his hand ran down a distinctly human set of eyes, a nose, and human lips. He ignored the surprised and excited shouts coming from the rest of his family as his eyes shot back to Leo. And in that moment, it was Leo's slow smile that kept him from full on panicking.

Once Leo had Raph's full attention again, he turned towards the entrance of the lair and called out, "Nice timing!"

The group as a whole turned and watched as Sir Malachi waltzed into their home. The wizard owl slowly circled Raphael, checking over his work, and then took a little bow in front of him.

"It's just an illusion, Raphael," Malachi stated. "Takes a lot of energy on my part, but for the next several hours, anyone who looks at you will see a human."

April leaned forward and joined in with Mikey and Casey, who had begun to poke at Raph's cheeks, hair, and sides, actions Raphael finally seemed to notice as he pushed their hands away. Then he spun back to Leo and stared open-mouthed at his brother.

"You two better get going now," Leo said, keeping his eyes locked with Raph's, hoping that Raph was just about finished freaking out so that he could begin enjoying his gift. "And that will wear off by nine tonight, so -,"

"Got it, comes with a curfew," Raph stated, cutting him off as he stepped forward and wrapped his strange human arms around Leo's shell for a hug. "Thanks, bro," he whispered. Then he turned, grinned at Casey, and gave the others a quick wave as the two of them headed out into the tunnels.

Malachi hopped up into Casey's abandoned seat and rested his hands behind his head while the leftover family members turned back to Leo.

"Human Raph is one of the weirdest things I've ever seen!" Mikey said, smiling widely at Leo.

"He had – reddish hair," April said.

"And he was still kind of short," Donnie added with a grin.

"This is fun! Am I next?" Mikey eagerly bounced towards Leo, much more into this activity now than he'd been earlier.

"Yes, you are," Leo said, smiling back. He lifted a plastic bag off the bench behind him and handed it over to Mikey.

Mikey tore into the wrapped gift he found inside and his smile only spread as he grinned at the popcorn and collection of DVDs, including _Home Alone_ and –

" _Garfield's Christmas_? You can't even find this one anymore!"

"For our next movie night?" Leo asked tentatively.

"Perfect for our next movie night," Mikey agreed before wrapping himself around Leo for a hug.

When he was finally released from Mikey's octopus hug, Leo let a small smirk cross his face again. "Oh, and I hope you really do want to prepare a feast for Christmas, because I may have done a little shopping," Leo headed towards the kitchen, sure that Mikey would follow, "and I picked up a few things." He stepped back so that Mikey could see the bags upon bags of groceries he'd stuffed behind the island while Mikey was being occupied in the garage with Raph and Casey earlier.

Mikey gasped as he jumped forward and began digging through the bags. "Leo-Leo-Leo," he repeated quickly as he saw ingredient after ingredient of the long list he'd wistfully given Leo the other morning.

"It's like Christmas!"

"Yeah, that's kind of the point," Leo said with a fond smile. "And I hope you can make plenty with all that, because Sir Malachi, and the Mighty Mutanimals, and Muckman, and April's dad, and Casey's little sister, and Miwa and Shinigami, and that pizza delivery guy you're always talking to -,"

Mikey gulped slightly at that last one, although somehow he wasn't altogether surprised that Leo knew about his pal Woody.

"- _which we will talk about later_ , are all coming over tomorrow to play games and eat Christmas dinner with us."

Mikey spun back around towards Leo and jumped forward to give him another hug. He could feel the tears well up in his eyes and he let them fall as he whispered out his own thank you.

When he was released once again from one of Mikey's tight hugs, Leo turned back to the pit. "Donnie." Leo said to his remaining brother. "I did actually find something for you at the junk yard. Do you want to see it right now?"

Donnie glanced over at Mikey who was now happily whistling _Jingle Bells_ as he unpacked the groceries in the kitchen, before he glanced over towards the tunnel where _human_ Raphael had previously disappeared with Casey. Then he turned his attention back to Leo and nodded his head, unable to even form words after everything he'd already seen. _Because what on earth could Leo have in store for him_?

Leo beamed back at him. "Great. I managed to move it to a safe place in a side tunnel. Maybe if we drive out, we can use the shellraiser to bring it home." He began walking towards the garage, but turned to make sure Donnie was following, while also glancing back at April. "Coming April?"

* * *

"What do you think?"

"What do I think? Its – this is amazing, Leo! I can't believe you found another one of these in such good shape!"

"You mean not clawed apart by the Kraang?"

Donnie laughed as he quickly disappeared into the subway car to check out the inside. "Do you know how cool it would be to have another shellraiser? Or maybe I could even turn it into something else, like a more efficient sub. Or something that flies?"

April grinned over at Leo as they listened to Donnie's voice echo as he continued to rattle off ideas from inside.

"Are you going to check out the inside as well?" April asked Leo.

Leo shook his head. "Nah, I've seen it."

April offered a small shrug as she jumped up into the car to explore with Donnie. Leo poked his head in after her and watched the two of them begin to examine the control panel.

"Donnie, I'm going to hook this up to the shellraiser so we can tow it home."

"Yeah, great, Leo," Donnie called absently back to him. He was so busy marveling over the pristine condition of the mechanics that he didn't hear the door sliding shut until there was a distinct click of a lock from _outside_ the car.

He frowned as he turned towards the door – the actual only exit – and confirmed that it was indeed now shut tight. He glanced at April, who was also eyeing the door, and the two of them moved to it quickly. They tugged on the handled only to find that it wouldn't budge.

"Leo?"

Donnie's call was met by total silence. So he called out again, slightly more urgently. After all, Leo had been there just two seconds ago!

"Leo!"

Still nothing.

"Did – did Leo _lock_ us in here?" April turned to Donnie, completely confused. She rattled the door again before turning back to Donnie. "Why would he lock us in here?"

Donnie suddenly realized that maybe the subway car wasn't his Christmas gift after all as he thought about _exactly_ why Leo would lock them in there. His feelings for April had never really been a secret from his brothers, and clearly Leo thought a little privacy would provide him the setting to finally step up and admit that those feelings were as strong as ever directly to April. He tried to ignore the weird flipping motion his stomach was currently attempting and straightened his shell, ready to do as big brother was subtly suggesting.

Meanwhile, April looked around the subway car and wondered if it was even possible to open or push out the front windows. Donnie probably wouldn't be for that idea if adjusting the windows somehow damaged that front control panel, but given the situation –

Wait a second, was that mistletoe hanging from the ceiling of this abandoned subway car?

And then realization dawned on her as she understood why Leo had locked them in the tiny space. The tiny space away from the lair, where no one else could barge in and interrupt them to ask their opinion about stupid, never-gonna-happen scenarios.

She glanced over at Donnie. While he was looking suddenly determined about something, she didn't think he'd noticed the mistletoe yet. It gave her a bit of confidence to know that she could use it to make the first move. And not only make the first move, but do it without having to worry about anyone interrupting.

April walked the few steps required to reach Donatello, let one arm land on his arm, and purposefully glanced towards the ceiling before meeting his surprised eyes. Donnie's eyes followed where she had directed upwards, and then his mouth fell slightly open when he saw the mistletoe.

"Looks like Leo got me something after all," she whispered up to him. Then she pushed herself up on her toes and kissed him.

And in a flash the air around them shifted. Her arms were wrapped around his neck just as tightly as he had his hands wrapped around her waist. What started as a gentle pressure between their mouths grew slightly more primal as April pressed herself harder against Donnie's front and he grunted in reply. And when he tried to pull away for air, her mouth chased after his until they were kissing again, hard and desperate because they'd been taking turns with angsty pining for _years_ and she wasn't ready to let him pull back to _think_ just yet.

When Donnie did manage to pull his mouth back, it was only because he wanted to get a good look at April's face in order to memorize this moment. Her mouth was red and swollen, her eyes were shining, she appeared to be lightly panting, and at some point, one of his hands had tangled itself in her soft hair.

He dropped his forehead to hers before murmuring, "We'll thank Leo later."

Then he dipped his head in order to kiss her breathless again.

* * *

At 9:01 pm, Raph watched as his five fingered hand flashed before a familiar green, three fingered one returned. He slid one hand over his bald head and the other down his hard plastron before grinning to himself.

"Handsome again," he murmured.

He finished the walk through the tunnels towards home, made a quick stop in the kitchen, and then went straight to Leo's room. He knocked on the door, and when there was no answer, he whipped it open and barged in, ready to be pissed if Leo's room was empty.

But it wasn't. Leo was right where he should be, tucked into his bed. He was about to turn and go when Leo's bedside lamp suddenly flipped on, and he saw Leo pushing himself up on an elbow. He rubbed at one of his eyes and peered over at Raphael.

"Something wrong?"

"Nah. Just didn't expect ya to be sleepin already, grandpa."

"Did you have fun?" Leo asked, ignoring the tease.

"Yeah, Leo. It was, uh - ," he felt slightly awkward, but reminded himself that Leo had worked hard for him to have this night, so he pushed through it. "It was amazing. And we could see everything from where we sat."

Leo yawned and nodded happily. "I'm glad."

"I'll let ya get back to sleep."

"What do you have?"

Leo's eyes were zeroed in on the bowl in his hand, and while Leo couldn't see inside it, Raph grinned when he could visibly see Leo sniffing the air. Deciding to stay, he pushed Leo's door shut and made his way across the room where he made himself comfortable at the end of the bed. He passed the bowl over to Leo and couldn't help his own smile when he saw Leo's eyes light up.

"I just thought that since ya gave me my Christmas present early, that I'd give ya yers early."

When he saw what exactly was in the bowl, Leo scrambled to push his shell back against his headboard in order to sit up properly. "Do I have to share these?" He barely managed to ask the question before he picked up one of the chocolate covered strawberries and took his first bite.

Raph chuckled. "No. I already warned the others to stay away from em."

"There's more?" Leo mumbled with his mouth full of strawberry and chocolate goodness.

"Yeah, I dipped a ton of em this morning while you were MIA. They're in the fridge."

"Sorry about all the secrecy."

"Shut it," Raph said quickly. "Presents are supposed to be surprises, right? And you certainly surprised the shit out of us."

To that Leo merely shrugged in agreement, a reaction that Raphael wasn't sure what to do with because he'd been ready to argue in order to force guilt out of Leo's brain. But Leo didn't look like he was going to be arguing anytime soon, not with the strawberries distracting him. Raph watched him devour another one before mentioning to Raph how good they were.

"Seriously, Raph, I'm really moved that you'd remember my favorite snack and then hand-make them for me."

Raph squirmed, because Leo was always so damn sincere. And they were just strawberries. It wasn't like Raph had been the one to have a magical wizard turn his brother into a human so he could go to an honest to goodness professional football game.

"Yer not moved. Yer in the same damn spot you were when I gave em to ya."

Leo smirked over at him, but didn't push to try to thank Raph any further.

"Seems like kind of a small gift compared to ya outdoing Santa this year, but, uh - ,"

Raph cut himself off because Leo was currently a goner - with his closed eyes and dorky smile and the happy sounds he keeps making with each bite –Raph wasn't even sure the other turtle was still listening to him.

He sighed. "Stop making love to the strawberries or I'm leaving."

"Maybe you should leave. I'm pretty sure I'm in love with these strawberries."

Raph kicked one of Leo's feet with his own. Because he was mature.

Leo stuck his tongue out at him. Because he didn't always have to be mature when it was just him and Raph together.

"So what'd ya have to give the wizard for him to agree to my little stunt?"

"You mean the Cinderella stunt?"

"Leo. No."

"Oh yes, Raph," Leo said before taking another bite of his favorite treat. "It will forever be known as _Raphael's Great Cinderella Adventure_ and you should just accept that now."

Raph sighed dramatically in the face of Leo's wicked grin. Normally, he'd argue a little more, but he'd had an incredible time today. And Leo just looked so damn happy.

"So what'd Malachi want?"

"Let's just say I owe him _several_ rounds of Mazes  & Mutants."

Raphael chuckled before leaning his head back against the wall behind him, allowing him to stare up at Leo's bedroom ceiling. "I wish ya could've gone today too."

When Leo didn't respond, he lowered his chin so he could see Leo's face again and was treated to a look of admiration and fondness from his big brother that he wasn't always sure he deserved.

"It was definitely worth it to see the look on your face, even if it wasn't technically _your_ face, when you realized what was happening and where you were going." Leo grinned at him and then Raph waited through another bite of strawberry and overly-dramatic happy noises that made him kick Leo's foot again before Leo continued. "You work really hard for this family, Raph. I just wanted you to have a carefree day with your best friend."

Raphael nodded thoughtfully at that, fairly certain Leo had probably told Mikey and Donnie that they deserved their treats because they worked really hard for the family as well.

"You work really hard for this family too. What do you get?"

"I get you three as brothers."

Raphael stared hard at him, fighting a flush off his face, _because holy shit_ , this wasn't Leo being mockingly cheesy. Leo was stone cold serious.

"And sometimes," Leo added, "one of my brothers remembers that I've not _allowed_ to go near the stove and they melt chocolate for me and dip strawberries in it and I get this." He lifted the last strawberry towards Raphael before taking a final large bite.

Normally, Raph might've rolled his eyes. But he just couldn't as he watched Leo continue to treat this small gift like _a big deal_. Although, he did roll his eyes when Leo began licking his fingers clean.

"Got ya this too." He tossed the small wrapped gift he'd managed to keep behind his shell since entering Leo's room into Leo's lap. "This one is from all three of us, though. We just thought maybe ya'd get more sleep at night if yer bed was more comfortable."

Leo's grin only grew wider as a soft blue blanket spilled out of the wrapping as soon as he'd made one tear in the paper.

" _You_ were worried about me getting enough sleep?"

Raph offered a half shrug when he saw Leo's smirk.

"I'm pretty sure you've cursed at me in the past when I try to make sure _you're_ getting enough sleep."

Leo's smirk had only grown and Raph was now certain his former half shrug response had been the correct one. So he repeated it.

"I'm talking last week even."

Raph began to glare at him.

"Full on cursing from you. When I was only being a good brother."

"Do ya like it or not?"

Leo chuckled and nodded.

"Good. Now scoot over."

"For what?"

"I'm sleeping here."

"You really got this blanket for yourself didn't you?"

"No, but unlike you, I know how to _make sure_ someone stays in bed all night," Raph grumbled as he shifted on the bed and took up the spot near the wall.

"Sounds dirty."

Raph stared back at him with a flat expression. "This coming from the guy making almost obscene noises while eating strawberries a few minutes ago."

" _Chocolate-covered_ strawberries."

"Whatever. Just don't eat the rest of em in front of Mikey. You'll scandalize the kid."

Leo chuckled again before he moved his sad, empty bowl to his bedside table, turned his light off again, and scooted his shell down on his mattress before tossing the new blanket in the air so it'd spread over the both of them. When he was finally situated, earning an impatient sigh from Raphael for his efforts, Raph scooted closer to him, wrapped an arm around his middle, and then closed his eyes for sleep.

"So this is the technique I should use next time I catch you staying up late?" Leo whispered.

Raphael growled at him.

"This is really soft," Leo murmured, pulling the blanket higher to tuck it under his chin as he let his eyes close. His belly was happy with chocolate and strawberries, he was finally getting a chance to sleep through the night, and all his brothers were home safe and happy.

Well, hopefully they were. He was sure Donnie and April could've figured a way out of that subway car when – and if – they wanted to.

"Hey, Leo?"

Leo hummed in response.

"Take me with ya when you go play that dumb game with the wizard bird."

Knowing that Raph wasn't the biggest fan of the game, or of Sir Malachi, Leo huffed out a soft sound before he sent a grateful grin in Raphael's direction.

"Thanks, Raph."

"I bet Mikey and Donnie would want to play too."

Leo nodded in agreement. He hadn't planned on dragging his brothers into helping him make this particular payment, but he knew the other two probably wouldn't see this as a hardship from their ends.

"Hey, Leo?"

Leo hummed again.

"Yer my best friend ya know."

Raph could feel Leo turning his head towards him in the darkness again, but he kept his eyes shut and only responded with a tighter squeeze around Leo's shell.

"Merry Christmas, Raph."

"Yeah, merry Christmas."


End file.
